Sent on behalf of Cllr Arif Hussain, Cabinet Member for Communities

Further to briefings provided on the proposed changes to the National Planning Policy Framework, if members of public would like to respond to the government’s consultation on proposed changes, there are a number of ways of doing so:

• by completing the online survey. 
• by sending an email to PlanningPolicyConsultation@communities.gov.uk
• by writing to: Planning Policy Consultation Team, Planning Directorate – Planning Policy Division, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Floor 3, Fry Building, 2 Marsham Street, London SW1P 4DF

This is the web link to the suite of consultation documents: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/proposed-reforms-to-the-national-planning-policy-framework-and-other-changes-to-the-planning-system

You may also find this short private blog post written by an independent planning barrister helpful, it provides a good summary of the government’s proposals:https://www.planoraks.com/posts-1/planningreformday-2024-what-just-happened

The consultation closes at 11.45pm on Tuesday 24 September 2024.

Buckinghamshire Highways will be carrying out carriageway resurfacing works along Winslow Road Swanbourne from the entrance of Home Farm Day Nursery to the villages gates Cemetery Hill)..

The works are programmed to take place from Thursday 11th April , taking approximately 7 days to complete. The work will be carried out using a road closure, in operation Monday to Friday between 09:00 to 15:00.

Every effort will be made to maintain access for residents. Buckinghamshire Highways says that it is vital that vehicles are not parked on the road and/or footway as this will prevent the works from being completed.

Clive Rodgers has been editing the Newsletter for 10 years and the time has come for him to pass this on. Ideally with a second person to proof read and make corrections. Basis proficiency in Microsoft word( or Publisher) is an advantage. Advice is offered if desired. Please email Clive if you are interested on clmrodgers@btinternet.com

This Remembrance Sunday we’ were very pleased to be joined again by Swanbourne House for the village’s Act of Remembrance, which began at the Memorial at 10.50am.

The customary words were spoken; the Rolls of Honour of the village and of Swanbourne House were read and wreaths laid on behalf of the village and Swanbourne House School; the bugle call of Last Post sounded for the two minutes silence, broken by Reveille.  The service continued inside Swanbourne parish church.

Dementia Awareness Training is available awareness training for residents and businesses in the Winslow and Villages Community Board area which includes Swanbourne. The training is free and details can be found here.

Swanbourne Parish Council meets next on Wednesday  29th November - details an be found here.

The Swanbourne Endeavour is on Sunday 22nd October. Details can be found here.

Councillor vacancy at Swanbourne Parish Council - deadline to apply extended to 6th October

Swanbourne Parish Council is a friendly team of seven councillors and our Parish Clerk. We currently have a vacancy for a councillor..

As a councillor representing your community you will help keep Swanbourne a great place to live and work.

IMPORTANT - if you are interested please see the Information Pack  below, where you will find the vacancy notice, eligibility criteria and  information about the appointment process..

Details of the meeting can be found here

Monday 14th August Swanbourne’s MP Greg Smith in the village on Monday for an informal surgery.

Villagers welcome the Gigaclear Community Hub with Gigaclear's Community Engagement manager Rezia Khan

Each year Parish Councils are required to prepare an Annual Governance and Accountability Return (AGAR). Swanbourne Parish Council has today published its 2022-23 AGAR for inspection.

Any person interested has the right to inspect and make copies of the AGAR, the accounting records for the financial year to which it relates and all books, deeds, contracts, bills, vouchers, receipts and other documents relating to those records must be made available for inspection by any person interested. For the year ended 31 March 2023, these documents will be available on reasonable notice by contacting the Swanbourne Parish Clerk in good time before the end of the notice period being Friday 28^th July.

For full details on the process please see the Notice of Public Rights which can be found here together with all the documents available to Swanbourne residents for inspection and the opportunity to question relevant matters.

Free Gigaclear Wifi in Swanbourne Village Hall

Free superfast broadband is now available to all Swanbourne residents thanks to the initiative led by Swanbourne Community Association (SCA) with broadband providers Gigaclear.

Betsy Duncan Smith kindly led the ceremony to launch the Gigaclear Community Hub on Sunday 23^rd July at Swanbourne Village Hall with SCA members and other Swanbourne residents gathering for the occasion.

This facility now provides free high-speed fibre Wifi connection 24/7 for anyone using the Village Hall and is also accessible in the hall's front garden picnic area when the hall is closed.

How to log on

To use the free Wifi on your phone, tablet or laptop look for the SWANBOURNE GUEST network and use the password FREMANTLE4

Pictured (l-r)  Frankie Fisher (SCA), Ken Harris(SCA), Hugo Gilbert ( Village Hall Committee), Linda Rodgers (SCA), Betsy Duncan Smith, Roger Parker(SCA), Wilma Gilbert ( Village Hall Committee), Anne Parker (SCA). There but not pictured is Clive Rodgers (SCA) taking the photograph!

And another photograph...

Villagers welcome  the Gigaclear Community Hub with Gigaclear's Community Engagement manager Rezia Khan

Next meeting of Swanbourne Parish Council is on 11th September at 7pm in the village hall. The agenda will be published on Wednesday 6th September

The minutes of the AGM and meeting of Swanbourne Parish Council held on 2nd May 2023 are available here

Click here for  the agenda

Swanbourne is celebrating in style with a great programme starting Saturday 6th May  - the Coronation live on a big screen in the village hall 11-2pm. Followed by Coronation cake competition and afternoon tea 2-4pm

Sunday is Party Time 4pm -10pm in The Betsy Wynne garden marquee. Come along, laugh and dance the night away with your fellow neighbours and Friends.

The AGM of Swanbourne Parish Council is on Tuesday 2nd May .. Details here.

The minutes of the meeting and  meeting papers are here. 

Tonight, in the Village Hall at 8pm. This is a later time than advertised. Photos & reminiscence of Swanbourne. Call Frankie 720454 for more details

The agenda for the meeting held on 7th September can be found here. 

The draft minutes of the meeting are linked below.

The next meeting of Swanbourne Parish Council will be held on Wednesday 23rd November in Swanbourne Village Hall. Meeting opens at 7pm and all residents are welcome to attend.

Each year the smaller authority prepares an Annual Governance and Accountability Return (AGAR). The AGAR has been published on this website. It will not be reviewed by the appointed auditor, since the smaller authority has certified itself as exempt from the appointed auditor’s review.

Any person interested has the right to inspect and make copies of the AGAR, the accounting records for the financial year to which it relates and all books, deeds, contracts, bills, vouchers, receipts and other documents relating to those records must be made available for inspection by any person interested. Closing date Friday 22nd July 2022.

All the reports can be found here .

The Annual General Meeting of Swanbourne Parish Council was held on Wednesday 18th May at 7pm in Swanbourne Village Hall. 

The agenda and minutes of the meeting can be found  here. ( or see Meeting Agendas and Minutes under the Parish Council tab above). 

The 2022 Parish Assembly is on Wednesday 25th May in the Village Hall, 6.30pm for 7pm start

The draft minutes of the Swanbourne Parish Council  meeting held on 9th March are now available.

Click here for the meeting minutes.

Note about our Village Precept*

Due to inflation, to increased costs and to the areas that require funding over the next 12 months the Parish Council has agreed to increase the precept for year 2022-23. Further detail will be published within the Council minutes.

There was no increase to the Village Precept in 2021/22.

Particular areas that will benefit from the precept over the coming year are street lighting, work to the village grass and verges and addressing the speeding issues. The Council is grateful to villagers who have highlighted areas that require attention.

*The precept is the money paid by residents (as part of Council Tax) to provide funds for necessary village maintenance, repairs and improvements, both routine (eg dog waste collection, and playing field maintenance), and exceptional (eg the extensive repairs to the New Walk footpath).

The precept is the Parish Council's share of Council Tax; the Parish Council uses this money for the direct benefit of our village. 

The Parish Council will be requesting a modest increase - likely to be in the region of 5% - for tax year 2022/23. This is largely due to rising inflation.

Parking on the road slows traffic, is safer and is considerate:

- Keeping pavements clear for walkers , pushchairs and wheelchairs makes access easier, and will keep us all safe

-Parking on the road is likely to slow traffic down which will make Swanbourne safer and more quiet.

Let's all encourage our guests and neighbours do the same.

Quotes are invited for grass cutting in Swanbourne. Details here..

The Parish Council is setting up a cross village working party for ideas on how Swanbourne can celebrate Her Majesty the Queen's platinum jubilee in 2022. Further details to follow

See new planning applications affecting the village, progress of existing applications and final outcomes with archive.

To see the tracker go to: https://www.swanbourneparishcouncil.co.uk/planning-applications

Automated External Defibrillator (AED)

A new Automated External Defibrillator has been secured for Swanbourne by Dr Caroline Walker

This public access defibrillator and a cabinet have been kindly funded in full through a government funded BHF grant. The defibrillator will be located on the outside of the Village Hall to be accessible 24 hours a day.

The defibrillator is a portable device that can be used by a member of the public to help restart the heart when someone has a cardiac arrest. This is when the heart stops pumping blood around the body and they lose consciousness almost at once. For every minute that passes without defibrillation and CPR, chances of survival decrease by around ten per cent.It is therefore imperative local people know both of these vital steps to help someone in an emergency.

The defibrillator is located on the outside wall of the Village Hall.

With a fresh new design and extra features, the website is the hub for Swanbourne information and news.

We are delighted to announce that we have been elected as unitary councillors for the Great Brickhill Ward, of which Swanbourne Parish is a part.

As we made clear during our campaigning, we are keen to actively support your residents and the Parish Council.

The Great Brickhill ward covers a wide area, so we believe the best way of serving you is for one of us to act as the primary contact for most day-to-day matters. 

We should emphasise that all three of us are accessible, as and when required on major issues, providing the weight of the full team. We will also engage our Member of Parliament when required.

We hope that you will find this a useful arrangement and we look forward to serving you over the next four years.

Yours sincerely,

PhilGomm

philip.gomm@buckinghamshire.gov.uk

JillyJordan

Jilly.Jordan@buckinghamshire.gov.uk

IainMacpherson

Iain.Macpherson@buckinghamshire.gov.uk